Steve Young Part 44

"Yes; creep up very cautiously, for they may be shy. Try and get between them and the sea."

So the boat was rowed close up to the edge of the forced-up ice, and the party landed for their first walrus hunt, Steve shouldering his rifle with the rest.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

THE WALRUS' FOE.

To stalk or crawl up to an animal within shooting distance upon a level prairie, where there is no sign of bush or tree, not so much as a big clump of gra.s.s, is a difficult task which it takes a Red Indian to achieve, with his peculiar powers of creeping along the ground almost like a caterpillar, moving, as it were, upon his crooked fingers and his toes; but out upon a rocky sh.o.r.e, among piled-up ma.s.ses of ice, many of them big enough to hide a couple of hundred men, the stalking appeared to be simplicity itself, and the three bearers of firearms stepped jauntily along toward the walrus herd, screening themselves behind the ma.s.ses of ice with more than one slip and stumble.

The scene was brilliant in the extreme, with the sun's rays darting from the broken fragments so lately deposited by the ice pressure, which was all that remained of the terrible convulsion of nature in which the expedition so nearly came to utter destruction. Saving the cries of the sea-birds and the ripple of the waves on the sh.o.r.e, there was not a sound to be heard. The water had regained its balance, so to speak, and to right and left, as far as they could see, there was a dark, open s.p.a.ce of about a quarter of a mile wide on an average between the rugged ice-piled sh.o.r.e and the pack, with comparatively few fragments, flashing with light as they glided along in the now gentle current.

In their pa.s.sage in the boat through the gloomy chasm the cold had been intense; but a few minutes' climbing over the ice in the clear sunshine, carrying a heavy rifle and ammunition, resulted in a pause behind a huge ma.s.s of piled-up ice, where flat piece after flat piece had been thrust one above the other, and a declaration that it was very hot.

"Hist!" whispered Johannes, who, with Jakobsen, was their companion on land once more. "A sound may alarm the walrus."

"But I should have thought they would be tame enough up here," said Steve. "They can't have seen men before. Couldn't we walk up to them boldly?"

The Norseman shook his head.

"They have other enemies beside man, sir, and they are suspicious of anything strange which they see moving. Look," he continued, pointing downward from the height to which they had climbed.

"What at? More walrus?"

"No, sir; that shining water. We need not have left the boat. It is the continuation of the pa.s.sage we came through, and you can trace it from those great blocks of ice right away in and out to the sea."

"All but in that one place not so very far from where we left the boat."

"Yes; the ice-floe was thrust right over it there. It may have choked it up, but perhaps there is a way under the ice. Great floes like that in motion yesterday would easily be thrust right over such a narrow ca.n.a.l. Look what has been done here."

"Then, if we can row right through to the sea that will be grand," said Steve; "because it will make it so easy if we can explore along the coast in the boat."

"Yes, sir, and so much better for the seal and walrus-hunting. Shall we go on now, gentlemen?"

"Yes," said Captain Marsham. "Where do you make out the herd to be lying now?"

"About a quarter of a mile from the other side of this pile, sir, straight away toward the sea. Be careful to keep out of sight."

The stalk was resumed, and slowly and carefully all crept along in single file, keeping to the depressions and rugged pa.s.sages between the ma.s.ses of ice.

It was a most laborious struggle, for the necessity of keeping out of sight forced all to go down in the most difficult places, and at times to lie flat and crawl and drag themselves over the higher portions which they had to cross.

But the excitement kept them well to their work, and in almost perfect silence they progressed till a sheltered nook was reached behind a ridge formed by the tilting of one of the ice-fields which had been forced ash.o.r.e. Here they paused again to regain breath and steadiness of hand, for the exertion was great to reach this advantageous spot, just beyond which the walrus lay, the sea being close at hand. There was only a rough slope formed by the edge of the floe now lying at an angle of about thirty-five degrees for them to mount, rest their rifles on the edge, take aim each at the one he selected, and fire.

Johannes had directed the captain on the course taken, he seeming to know, as if by instinct, the way to bear and regain the straight line marked out when they had been turned aside by an obstacle; and now, after pointing out to the leader where to take his place, and then by signs only indicating the doctor's, he turned to Steve, placed his lips to the boy's ear, and said:

"Creep up slowly without a sound, slip your gun over, and take aim at one of the walrus that is side on to you. It is of no use to shoot anywhere; it must be straight behind the eye, and about six inches away, just where it looks all thick neck. They're waiting; go on."

Steve glanced to right and left, as Johannes crouched down beside Jakobsen, each man with his lance ready; and then the captain waved his hand, and they started together, crawling up slowly and silently till they were within a yard of the level ridge, where all paused as if animated by the same spirit, thrust the barrels of their pieces toward the top, and began to seek for the next places to plant their feet so as to peer over the edge together.

Steve's heart beat with great throbs, and a curious nervous sensation came over him; but he was in position first, saw that the captain was ready the next moment, and then turned to the doctor, for it was of course necessary that all should fire together.

Steve was just in time to hear a sharp e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, and see the doctor slip and roll down the ice slope, his rifle rattling after him with plenty of noise; and, knowing that if he were not quick there would be no shot, he raised himself up with rifle ready, thrust it over the ridge at the same time as the captain, and then stopped there staring.

"Fire! fire!" came in a whisper from Jakobsen.

"What at?" replied Steve, and the captain laughed good-humouredly.

"Hurt yourself, Hands...o...b..?" he said.

"Hurt myself! Of course I have. I shall be all bruises," grumbled the doctor. "Why didn't you shoot?"

"How can you ask that when you made noise enough to frighten away all the walrus in the arctic circle?"

"Are there none there?" said Johannes, who had crept up to Steve's side.

"Not a sign of one."

"Don't say I scared them all away," said the doctor.

"Oh no, sir," replied the Norseman, looking about searchingly. "They must have seen us ten minutes ago; they're yonder on the ice a quarter of a mile away. We were very careful, too."

"I am glad I did not frighten them," cried the doctor, rubbing one of his elbows.

"But it's so disappointing after all that trouble," grumbled Steve.

"Wait a bit, sir," said Johannes, as he watched the herd; "you will have plenty of chances yet. There are sure to be some disappointments in walrus-hunting. We must be more careful next time. There are some, grand bulls there, though," he added thoughtfully; "look at that one's tusks, Mr Steve--that one drawing himself up out of the water."

"Yes, I was looking at it," replied Steve. "What a monster! It looks like an elephant without a trunk, and his tusks turned wrong way on."

For there, swimming about, or climbing on to a great ma.s.s of ice a quarter of a mile away, but which looked half that distance in the clear air, was the herd in perfect safety. They were of all sizes, from calves not half grownup to unwieldy cows and the huge ma.s.sive bulls.

Some floated quietly, others were gambolling about, and the rest lay in various att.i.tudes as if basking or sleeping in the warm sunshine; while one great fellow had dragged himself on to the highest point, raised himself on his fore flippers, and, with head erect, was looking about in different directions.

"That's the sentinel," said Johannes quietly. "He'll warn them of danger, and he must have seen us."

"No," said Jakobsen; and he pointed to their right.

Johannes laughed.

"Right," he said. "No wonder you did not get a shot, gentlemen; there was some one stalking them first."

"Some one?" cried the captain. "Who? where?"

Johannes chuckled, and pointed to where the water was being parted by something swimming.

"I see it," cried Steve; "a bear!"